TUESDAY EDITION: I received my replacement Shark
Openspot2 yesterday from Estonia, great customer service, it was
here in one week. I had it hooked up and making contacts in fifteen
minutes and I don't know shit about setting up digital stuff so it
must be easy! I talked to a dozen states and a few hams in England
walking around the house with my Yaesu Fusion digital walkie, I
guess it is novel and kind of fun. I need to buy a cheap DRM walkie
next and try that next. If I could hit any connected digital
repeaters I would not need a hot spot interface but I can't hit any
from my location.....
HamRadioNow: Live from Last
Man Standing
Gary KN4AQ, Cyndi KD4ACW, and David W0DHG talk about their
trip to Los Angeles and their visit to the stage of popular TV
show Last Man Standing which stars Tim Allen
KK6OTD as radio amateur Mike Baxter KA0XTT
Watch HRN405:
Live from Last Man Standing
Eastern Massachusetts SEC Rob Macedo,
KD1CY, Receives Blue Hills Observatory Outstanding Service Award....well
deserved...
The Blue Hill
Observatory and Science Center has awarded Eastern
Massachusetts ARES SKYWARN Coordinator and Section Emergency
Coordinator Rob
Macedo, KD1CY, with its Outstanding Service Award.
Macedo received the award on November 9 during a Blue Hills
Observatory fundraising event. Doing the honors were
meteorologist and Weather Channel personality
Jim
Cantore and former Weather Channel meteorologist
Mish
Michaels. The honor was especially meaningful for
Macedo as it coincided with his birthday.
“It’s both rewarding and humbling to receive [the award] in
the presence of some of the most respected people in the
meteorology profession,” Macedo said. “It wouldn’t be possible
without the support of hundreds to thousands of SKYWARN spotters
and Amateur Radio operators who support the program and give
their reports during times of severe weather.” SPACE JUNK: Es’hail-2 Geostationary
Satellite Launch Said to be Imminent
According to AMSAT-Germany ( AMSAT-DL),
Es’hail-2, the world’s first geostationary satellite carrying
Amateur Radio transponders, will go into space from Cape
Canaveral in a few days. Space news outlet Spaceflight Now
says that the SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher is set to launch on
Thursday, November 15, between 2049 and 2229 UTC. Positioned at
25.5° E, the satellite will carry an Amateur Radio S-band and
X-band payload capable of linking radio amateurs from Brazil to
Thailand; it’s unlikely that Es’hail-2 will be accessible from
North America, at least not with conventional Amateur Radio
satellite gear.
The recent subject of an AMSAT-UK Colloquium
presentation, Es’hail-2 will carry two
Phase 4 (P4-A) non-inverting Amateur Radio transponders
operating in a 2.4 GHz up/10.45 GHz down configuration. This
offers a 250 kHz bandwidth linear transponder intended for
conventional analog operations, plus an 8 MHz bandwidth
transponder for experimental digital modulation schemes and DVB
amateur television.
The Qatar Amateur Radio Society and Qatar Satellite Company
are cooperating on the Amateur Radio project, and AMSAT-DL is
providing technical support. Commercial payloads on Es’hail 2
include 24 Ku-band and 11 Ka-band transponders to provide direct
broadcasting services throughout the Middle East and North
Africa, as well as government communication services.
AMSAT-DL has explained that the launcher will not go directly
into geostationary orbit. Several orbital maneuvers are
necessary before Es’hail-2 enters its commissioning phase, which
may take several months. AMSAT-DL has said that, while it
invites reception reports, no one should attempt to transmit
into Es’hail-2 until after it’s formally released for use.
If US hams want to see if they would be in range of
Es’hail-2, they can try the
Dishpointer
web page. While the satellite is not in the drop-down menu,
Eutelsat 25B is close to the position that Es’hail-2 will
occupy. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service; AMSAT-DL VETERAN'S DAY MONDAY: Thanks a vet for their
service today and kick a liberal in the ass just because you
can....BC and the Patriots sucked yesterday.....sad state of
affairs for veterans....At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, bugle calls
ended the ‘war to end all wars.’ After four years of carnage,
you could hear the ticking of a watch......Guy
punches bear in the nose and escapes, pretty sure he is one
lucky SOB.....
FOR SALE: I bought two Kenwood V71 vhf-uhf radio's and only
need one....new in box, if you are interested for $275 shipped, let
me know....
Amateur Radio Roundtable
This week Riley Hollingsworth, retired Special Counsel to the FCC
discusses the new ARRL program that replaces the Official Observer.
Emmett Hohensee III will discuss antennas and getting ready for
Winter.
Tom will give an update on his Beta testing of the new RigPi
Station Server.
This week we introduce Josh Nass KI6NAZ who has a great ham radio
youtube channel. Plus more.
Watch the show on
W5KUB.COM every Tues night at 8:00 PM central time. We also
simulcast our show on a famous international shortwave station on
5130 Khz. Guests and topics from around the world. If you have a
topic or want to join the show, please contact us. (international
time will be 0200 UTC Wed)
'Fox-In-A-Box' SD cards now available from
AMSAT store
Fox-in-a-Box is a small, easily-deployed Fox
satellite telemetry receiver based on a Raspberry Pi 3B+ and a
FUNcube Dongle Pro+.
You can read about it in the AMSAT 2018 Symposium Proceedings
(digital copies available on the AMSAT store at
https://www.amsat.org/product/2018-amsat-symposium-proceedings-
digital-download/),
or you can find a somewhat less extensive description with parts
list and instructions at
http://burnsfisher.com/AMSAT/FoxInABox
Get started by simply plugging these 8Gb SD Cards with the
Fox-in-a-Box software pre-installed into your Raspberry Pi and
booting it.
Just a bit of configuration (your call and grid) required.
The website above also has an SD card image, but buying the SD
card with the software pre-installed saves a lot of trouble and any
additional proceeds go to Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
Order yours today at
https://www.amsat.org/product/fox-in-a-box-raspberry-pi-sd-card/
Montenegro latest to join 60m
The latest update to the Montenegro National Frequency Plan (p.
37) from the country’s telecomms regulator, EKIP, lists a new band
at 5 MHz/60m, namely the WRC-15 Amateur Secondary Allocation of
5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz with 15W EIRP, which has been confirmed by
national society, the Montenegro Amateur Radio Pool (MARP).
ARRL Staffrs, State and Local Officials on
Hand for Massachusetts ARISS School Contact
ARRL
Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology
alumnus Mariusz Zielinski, KB1MDS, invited ARRL Lifelong
Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC, Lifelong Learning
Administrator Ally Riedel, KM3ALF, and ARRL Communications
Content Producer Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, to witness an exciting
November 2 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station ( ARISS)
contact with students at Pathfinder Regional Vocational
Technical High School in Palmer, Massachusetts, where Zielinski
teaches. Pathfinder Amateur Radio Club students queued up to ask
mostly technical questions of NASA astronaut Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor,
KG5TMT. The Pathfinder ARC
said
the ARISS project became “a school-wide endeavor, capitalizing
on our students’ interests in the trades and STEM subjects,
giving them an interdisciplinary opportunity to apply their
various skill sets.” Over the 2-year run up to the contact,
Pathfinder students fabricated the antenna-aiming and mounting
hardware. The club said on its website that it “incorporated
many of the technical areas to construct the radio station and
prepare for the ARISS contact and challenged our students to
learn more about wireless technology and radio science.” One
goal of the project was to “provide an educational opportunity
for students, teachers and the general public to learn about
wireless technology and radio science through Amateur Radio,”
the club described.
Palmer Town Councilor Robert Lavoie, Massachusetts
Representative Todd Smola, and Massachusetts Senator Anne Gobi
were on hand to present a citation of congratulations from the
State of Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Wearing an “ARISS 2018” T-shirt designed by students,
Zielinski told a WWLP television reporter that the successful
contact was even more exciting than the Boston Red Sox recent
World Series win.
Further assistance and support was provided by fellow
Teachers Institute alumni and Pathfinder instructors Schley
Warren, KA1TDL, and Frank Legassey, KC1IYH, as well as from Jack
O’Donnell, KC1GZB; Susan Grimaldi, WA1SJG, and Al Grimaldi,
KB1XG, of the Mt. Tom Amateur Repeater Association. Legassey, an
electronics instructor, and O’Donnell, a physics instructor,
earned their Amateur Radio licenses during a January 2018 exam
session at the school.
Others pitching in included Gary Thomas, AA1UE, of Wealth
Technologies; Ronald Osimo, K1CRR, of the Cheshire County DX
Radio Club; ARISS mentor Steve Taylor, W1HQL; Aggie Zielinski,
and Anatoliy and Elen Borryssenko of A&E Partnership. WEEKEND EDITION: Good thing the rain last night
was not snow or I would up to my ass this morning....
ARRL Staffers, State and Local Officials
on Hand for Massachusetts ARISS School Contact
ARRL
Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology
alumnus Mariusz Zielinski, KB1MDS, invited ARRL Lifelong
Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC, Lifelong Learning
Administrator Ally Riedel, KM3ALF, and ARRL Communications
Content Producer Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, to witness an exciting
November 2 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station ( ARISS)
contact with students at Pathfinder Regional Vocational
Technical High School in Palmer, Massachusetts, where Zielinski
teaches. Pathfinder Amateur Radio Club students queued up to ask
mostly technical questions of NASA astronaut Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor,
KG5TMT. The Pathfinder ARC
said
the ARISS project became “a school-wide endeavor, capitalizing
on our students’ interests in the trades and STEM subjects,
giving them an interdisciplinary opportunity to apply their
various skill sets.” Over the 2-year run up to the contact,
Pathfinder students fabricated the antenna-aiming and mounting
hardware. The club said on its website that it “incorporated
many of the technical areas to construct the radio station and
prepare for the ARISS contact and challenged our students to
learn more about wireless technology and radio science.” One
goal of the project was to “provide an educational opportunity
for students, teachers and the general public to learn about
wireless technology and radio science through Amateur Radio,”
the club described.
Palmer Town Councilor Robert Lavoie, Massachusetts
Representative Todd Smola, and Massachusetts Senator Anne Gobi
were on hand to present a citation of congratulations from the
State of Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Wearing an “ARISS 2018” T-shirt designed by students,
Zielinski told a WWLP television reporter that the successful
contact was even more exciting than the Boston Red Sox recent
World Series win.
Further assistance and support was provided by fellow
Teachers Institute alumni and Pathfinder instructors Schley
Warren, KA1TDL, and Frank Legassey, KC1IYH, as well as from Jack
O’Donnell, KC1GZB; Susan Grimaldi, WA1SJG, and Al Grimaldi,
KB1XG, of the Mt. Tom Amateur Repeater Association. Legassey, an
electronics instructor, and O’Donnell, a physics instructor,
earned their Amateur Radio licenses during a January 2018 exam
session at the school.
Others pitching in included Gary Thomas, AA1UE, of Wealth
Technologies; Ronald Osimo, K1CRR, of the Cheshire County DX
Radio Club; ARISS mentor Steve Taylor, W1HQL; Aggie Zielinski,
and Anatoliy and Elen Borryssenko of A&E Partnership. AMSAT’s Fox-1Cliff CubeSat Set to Launch
on November 19...more space junk
AMSAT is
counting down to the launch of the next Fox-1 satellite,
Fox-1Cliff. According to Spaceflight Now, the launch from
Vandenberg Air Force Base of Spaceflight’s SSO-A SmallSat
Express mission, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle, is currently
scheduled for November 19 at 1832 UTC. Fox-1Cliff carries the
Fox-1 U/v FM repeater, AMSAT’s L-Band Downshifter, the flight
spare of the AO-85 Vanderbilt University Low Energy Proton (LEP)
radiation experiment, and the standard Fox-1 Penn State
University-Erie MEMS gyroscope experiment. Virginia Tech
provided a video graphics array camera that’s similar to the one
on AO-92 but which will provide images at a higher 640 × 480
resolution.
More information about the launch and early operations phase
will be released prior to launch.
Fox-1Cliff is named in honor of long-time AMSAT member,
contributor, and benefactor Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR (SK), who
died in 2016. His contributions to AMSAT and other Amateur
Satellite programs — including his service as an adviser during
the initial development of the CubeSat specification at
California Polytechnic State University — earned him the
Lifetime Achievement Award from Project OSCAR in 2006.
NASA TV coverage of Cygnus
launch to International Space Station
NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to
launch its Antares rocket, carrying the Cygnus cargo spacecraft
to the International Space Station, at 4:49 a.m. EST Wednesday,
Nov. 15. The launch, as well as briefings preceding and
following the launch, will air live on NASA Television and the
agency’s
website.
Loaded with 7,500 pounds of research, crew supplies and
hardware, this 10th commercial resupply mission for Northrop
Grumman will launch from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional
Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
About 70 minutes after launch, an automated command will initiate
deployment of the spacecraft’s solar arrays. Full deployment will
take approximately 30 minutes.
The Cygnus spacecraft, dubbed the SS John Young, will arrive at
the space station Sunday, Nov. 18. At about 4:35 a.m., Expedition 57
Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor KG5TMT of NASA will grapple
the spacecraft using the station’s robotic arm. She will be backed
up by Alexander Gerst KF5ONO of ESA (European Space Agency), who
will monitor Cygnus systems during its approach. After capture,
ground controllers will command the robotic arm to rotate and
install Cygnus on the bottom of the station’s Unity module.
Complete coverage of launch activities is as follows:
Tuesday, Nov. 13:
- 2 p.m. – What’s on Board science briefing
- Tara Ruttley, associate chief scientist for
Microgravity Research in NASA’s Office of the Chief
Scientist
- Diane Risdon, In-Space Manufacturing
Refabricator project lead at NASA’s Marshall Space
Flight Center
- Liz Warren, associate program scientist for the
station’s
National Lab
- Allison Porter, flight mission manager at
Tethers Unlimited
- Michelle Lucas, founder and president of Higher
Orbits
- Student researchers with Higher Orbits
Wednesday, Nov. 14:
- 11 a.m. – Prelaunch news conference
- Joel Montalbano, International Space Station
Program deputy manager at NASA’s Johnson Space
Center
- Tara Ruttley
- Doug Voss, deputy chief of the Range and Mission
Management Office at Wallops
- Frank DeMauro, vice president for Human Space
Systems and Logistics at Northrop Grumman
- Kurt Eberly, Antares vice president at Northrop
Grumman
Thursday, Nov. 15:
- 4:15 a.m. – Launch coverage begins
- 5:45 a.m. – Cygnus solar array deployment
- 7 a.m. – Postlaunch news conference
- Joel Montalbano
- Frank DeMauro
- Kurt Eberly
Sunday, Nov. 18
- 3 a.m. – Grapple of Cygnus with the space station’s robotic
arm
- 6:15 a.m. – Cygnus installation operations
The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station
until Feb. 12, 2019, when it will depart, taking with it several
tons of trash, and deploy several CubeSats before its fiery reentry
into Earth’s atmosphere.
Amateur Radio Newsline Report
2141 for Friday, November 9 2018....weekly rehash of the news
REMEMBERING PAUL BITTNER W0AIH
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Following his fatal fall from a tower at his antenna
farm, friends have been remembering Paul Bittner W0AIH. Newsline
thought our listeners might want to hear a little more about a ham
who, even in his 80s, was unstoppable in his enthusiasm and his
devotion to the hobby. Here's Kent Peterson KC0DGY.
KENT: Driving on the interstate freeway just outside Eau Claire,
Wisconsin, it’s hard not to miss a collection of ham antennas
covering a 20-acre patch of farmland. What IS hard to be missing
now, however, is the ham who built that iconic antenna farm - noted
contester and retired
Lutheran minister Paul Bittner W0AIH. As Newsline reported last
week, Paul suffered a fatal fall from a tower he was working on, on
Oct. 31 at the superstation known as The Farm.
Bittner’s son-in-law Paul Husby W0UC said the farm was a beloved
project that just grew to be an entity that – like its creator
himself – was well-known in ham radio for the way it grew and
reached out to offer seemingly boundless possibilities.
PAUL HUSBY: The farm evolved in a rather strange way, it doesn't
have a great
master plan. Perhaps it’s not the most well-designed place because
it just sort of
evolved as towers and equipment became available.
KENT: A regular operator at the farm is Allan Schlaugat N9ISN
ALLAN SCHLAUGAT: We can never say it was finished, he was always
climbing the
towers and improving things, adding antennas, changing antennas,
always trying to improve
things.
HUSBY: Started building towers in 1982. All the towers out there are
things that Paul scrounged over the years. He'd take down towers for
whenever he had the opportunity to get his hands on something. He
would collect towers for the cost of what it takes them down.
KENT: Schlaugat once asked Paul how many antennas are at the farm.
SCHLAUGAT: Do you actually know how many towers are there? And he
goes, “Oh I don't know, I think maybe 45 towers and 25 poles but I
lost count about ten years ago.” If there was something he would
throw another tower up and put another antenna up. Over the years he
just lost count so the ballpark we say 45 and 25 and we'll call it
good.
KENT: Schlaugat says the loss of Bittner is great.
SCHLAUGAT: He left a hole in the entire ham radio community. We're
talking all across the country or all across the world. Be it
contesting, DX and socially. It’s very very tough.
HUSBY: His family has always been very interested in his activities
all these years. They don't really understand what the radio is all
about but they know he got an awful lot of fun out of it and
everyone is glad he died working on something he really loved.
KENT: Paul Bittner W0AIH is survived by his wife Mary WB0PXM four
daughters, six grandchildren – and all those who worked or visited
the farm or perhaps just admired it from afar.
RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA RECOGNIZES HAMS' WORK
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio operators don't do what they do simply
for the recognition but when it does come, it's welcome validation.
Jack Parker W8ISH tells us about some hams enjoying the spotlight.
JACK: When the Radio Club of America gathers for its 2018 Technical
Symposium and Awards Banquet on November 17th in Manhattan, its
keynote speaker Ted Rappaport N9NB will also be among those
receiving honors. Ted is being given the Armstrong Medal in
recognition of lasting contributions to wireless communications and
the radio arts. A professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and computer science at New
York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Ted is
considered a pioneer in 5G networks, wireless systems simulation and
RF propagation. He will share the evening’s honors with a number of
fellow amateurs: The Lee de Forest Award is being given to Nathan
‘Chip’ Cohen, W1YW; the Fred M. Link Award to Joseph Yurman, N2PFO;
the Edgar F. Johnson Pioneer Citation to Mark Allen, W6PC, and the
RCA Presidents Award to Carroll Hollingsworth, K5CTT.
New Fellows have been named to the RCA as well this year – they
include Steven Ahmed, K2MOT; Martha Carter, N4GJA and Charles
Kirmuss, W0CBK.
POSTHUMOUS RECOGNITION FOR INDIAN AMATEUR'S BOOK
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In India, recognition is coming posthumously for one
Silent Key who authored a book about India's space program. That
book was published this year, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: Electronics engineer Ved Prakash Sandlas VU2VP never lived
to see the publication of his book “The Leapfroggers: An Insider’s
Account of ISRO.”
Ved became a Silent Key on 6th July 2017 and the book was published
just months ago. It tells the story of how the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) developed its launch vehicles from scratch. A
graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Ved
became a licensed ham radio operator whilst he was an undergraduate
studying for his physics degree.
According to the Daily Pioneer newspaper’s Sunday magazine of
28th October, his radio hobby later became invaluable to his work at
the space agency when he was given the responsibility of developing
a communication system for the Indian space programme’s Satellite
Launch Vehicle.
The posthumous publication recently received a positive review by
the Daily Pioneer crediting Ved with helping to build the success of
India’s launch vehicle, which formed the pioneer mission of the
programme.
It quotes a passage from the ham radio operator’s book which says
[quote] “It was SLV-3 that lifted India to space.” [endquote]
BRAZILIAN ASTRONAUT GETS GOVERNMENT POST
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The amateur radio operator who becacme the first
South American in space is preparing to advance to a government post
when Brazil's new president takes office. Robert Broomhead VK3DN has
those details.
ROBERT: In 2006, when amateur radio operator Marcos Pontes PY0AEB
launched in Kazakhstan for the International Space Station, he
became the first South American in space. Now the Brazilian Air
Force lieutenant colonel is poised to become that nation’s science
and technology minister. He was confirmed for the post on October
31st by Brazil’s president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, who will take
office on January 1st.
Marcos had been chosen as a mission specialist with NASA and arrived
in August of 1998 at the Johnson Space Center, where he trained as
an astronaut. He is still assigned technical duties at the space
center and remains on standby for any space flights from Brazil. But
for now, he has work to do in the administration of Brazil’s next
president.
One day after his confirmation he told a group of science and
robotics students: [quote] “A dream can take you anywhere, even off
the planet.”
FCC SWITCHES TO NEW ONLINE REGISTRATION SYSTEM
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The FCC is retiring its present version of the
Commission Registration System, also known as CORES. As of March 1
of next year, anyone applying for an FCC Federal Registration
Number, or FRN, must first create a username and password on the
system before they can receive the FRN itself. That's already the
case - but on the new CORES website – anyone who already has an FRN
from the old Commission Registration System will need to create a
user name to continue managing it under the new system. You can find
the website using the URL included the text version of this report.
This is especially important for Volunteer Examiners while
administering amateur radio license exams. FRNs are used in place of
Social Security numbers. Hams who do not have Social Security
Numbers must instead use their Taxpayer Identification Number to get
an FRN. An FRN is required for everyone using this system.
All hams who are already licensed and wishing to conduct business
with the FCC, such as renewing their license or changing their
address, also need to be registered properly through the new
Commission Registration System so they have access to the online
Universal Licensing System. It should also be noted that individuals
with a new FRN will be able to log into the FCC’s Universal
Licensing System and set their preferences from receiving electronic
copies of your documents to getting them on paper by postal mail, if
desired.
MONTANA REPEATER LOOKS TO MAKE CONNECTIONS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Good news travels fast, especially on a repeater
that's a source of pride to hams who got it running and are now
looking to get it networked. Neil Rapp WB9VPG revisits those hams in
Montana.
NEIL: You may remember a few weeks ago, we shared a story about how
some hard-working hams in the North Yellowstone Amateur Radio Club
went where no repeater has gone before. They opened up a remote area
of Yellowstone National Park that had no communications. They were
able to acquire an abandoned phone company building about 8,000 feet
up a mountain. A number of individuals and other clubs from
surrounding areas pitched in their time, talent, and resources to
make this repeater possible, and created a system to break the
silence. Jim Halfpenny, K9YNP, tells us what's happening now.
JIM: Right now we are mapping the coverage of where this repeater is
allowing us to transmit to. We've got isolated hams that have no
phone, no radio... and suddenly the repeater is up and talking into
narrow valleys. We've opened it up wide open. So we're mapping
coverage, and more coverage mapping is still needed.
NEIL: Now that the repeater is in place, the next step will be to
extend the coverage by linking through the Montana Repeater Link
Association, or MRLA.
JIM: We are working with folks, volunteers, and knowledgeable folks
on the MRLA system to extend that coverage south into Gardiner,
Montana; Northgate of Yellowstone; and Yellowstone Park. That's our
next reallly big plan, but because of all the snow is going to have
to wait until next summer before we can actually accomplish setting
up that linkage.
NEIL: But for now, a large area around Gardiner, Montana appreciates
their efforts.
JIM: During this winter season we are going to have much better
coverage than we had before. The repeater got started about
September 10th. The northern Yellowstone ecosystem will have better
communications also. The new repeater, hopefully in the future, will
be a boon to emergency services.
NEIL: The North Yellowstone group offers an invitation to hams in
the area.
JIM: Local hams and visitors to Yellowstone National Park can now
talk on the repeater on 146.98 MHz with a negative offset and a tone
of 100 Hz. So we welcome everybody to join in when they come through
the park or are near the park. We'd really appreciate their
participation.
THREE NEW AMATEUR BANDS FOR INDIA
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Indian officials have updated the country's
frequency plan and that's encouraging news for hams there, as Graham
Kemp VK4BB tells us.
GRAHAM: Still trying for that elusive QSO with India? Amateurs there
now have access to three new bands – 60 metres, 630 metres and 2300
metres. The nation’s telecommunications regulator, the Ministry of
Communications, has updated the Indian National Frequency plan and
added 5 MHz, 472kHz and 135kHz to the list of available bands where
hams can try to catch a contact. The band plan became effective on
the 25th of October.
It should be noted for all three frequencies, amateurs carry status
of secondary users. They are limited to 1 watt EIRP on 630 and 2300
metres and 15 watts EIRP when using 60 metres. According to a report
in Southgate Amateur Radio News, the new bands comply with current
criteria set by the International Telecommunications Union.
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, you have a little more time to contact Andy
OE7AJH operating from Madagascar along with Thomas OE7KUT. Andy is
using the call sign 5R8UP until November 13th, working holiday style
on 40 through 10 meters and possibly 80 meters. He will be using
both CW and SSB. QSL via OE7AJH.
Be listening for Take (Tah-KAY)JG8NQJ on Minami Torishima starting
around the 15th of November. He expects to be there for three
months, operating CW and some RTTY as JG8NQJ/JD1. QSL via JA8CJY
(direct) or JG8NQJ (bureau).
Be listening for John, W2GD operating as P40W from Aruba from the
19th to the 27th of November. Although he will mainly be
participating in the CQ WW DX CW Contest, he will also be on the air
outside the contest operating SSB and CW on 160-10 metres. QSL via
LoTW or direct only to N2MM.
Listen for Nobu JA0JHQ operating as T88PB from Koror, Palau
between the 23rd and 26th of November. He will be most active
during the CQ WW DX CW Contest. QSL via LoTW, which is
preferred, or send direct to JA0JHQ.
KICKER: NO VALID LICENSE? WELL, NO VALID TRAFFIC TICKETS EITHER
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We all know that getting on the air without a
license isn't legal. As Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us in this week's
final story, that's true even for the local traffic cops.
ANDY: Hams are not the only ones who can get in trouble for not
having an appropriate and valid FCC license. Take the case of the
Buckeye Lake Police Department in Ohio. Village officers have been
writing speeding tickets, as police are known to do, for any
motorists driving in excess of the 35 mph village limit - but
apparently every ticket that’s been handed out since 2013 has been
unlawful, according to Buckeye Lake Police Chief Vicki Wardlow.
According to an Associated Press story quoting the local Newark
Advocate newspaper, the chief told the village council members at a
meeting in October that the department’s license with the FCC
expired in 2013, which means the radar guns used to measure the
speed of motorists whizzing by cannot be calibrated for use.
No one applied to renew the license so the tickets issued in the
past five years simply aren’t valid, she said. She told the council
that the law requires the department to have that license in order
to operate both its radar units and its radios. That means the
department can’t write valid tickets, at least for now.
A new license could cost anywhere from $840 if she files the
application herself, or a total of $1,400 if the village outsources
the process and would not expire for another 10 years. It was
unclear what penalty if any would be assessed for the department’s 5
years of unlicensed operation.
The Village’s clerk treasurer Rochelle Menningen said the police
department’s budget has the funds to cover the cost of a new license
and so, presumably, it will apply as quickly as possible for its FCC
license – but of course, at a speed within the legal limit.
FRIDAY EDITION: I had an enjoyable lunch
yesterday up at HRO with a few hams, goggled all the new gear and
prices, and left without buying anything....The only embarrassment
occurred at the restaurant, Joe placed his gum under his dinner
plate and when the waiter came to remove the plates he had quite a
time getting the plate off the table....who the hell saves their gum
under the dinner plate?....
Lunch at HRO yesterday with Ari, Joe, and Mike making careful menu selections...
Florida Air Show Gives Ham Radio Some
On-the-Air Exposure
The Everglades Amateur Radio Club (W4SVI) put ham radio in the
spotlight during the 2018
Wings
Over Homestead Air and Space Show, held in
Homestead, Florida, November 2 – 4 “We were given space on the
tarmac in the STEM section which was intended in getting kids
interested in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics,” said Robert Cruz, KE4MCL. “We were allowed to
bring two of our field station vehicles right up to the tent and
set up their free-standing masts.”
The club fielded operating positions on HF through UHF,
slow-scan TV, and satellites for special event station W4H. “All
three stations were active during the event. Since we set up
early on Friday, we operated fully off solar power that day as
the onsite generator was not to be fired up until the weekend,”
Cruz explained. He said arriving on Friday offered an additional
benefit. “The setup crew got to see most of the air show, plus
some cool behind the scenes stuff, minus about 100,000 people,”
he quipped.
“Since this was a military airshow, I brought along a Collins
R-388 and a BC-348 just for show and tell,” Cruz recounted. “We
had a few veterans come around and talk to us about how they
used to operate one of these while [in the service].”
Cruz said a highlight of the weekend was a contact by Steve
Taylor, W1HQL, with a crew member of the International Space
Station. “The ISS had a scheduled school contact, and once they
got out of range of the school, Steve called on a whim and the
ISS responded for a quick QSO,” Cruz said.
He said the club, which is headquartered in Homestead, tried
something a little different at this year’s air show.
“Traditionally, Amateur Radio displays are filled with call
signs and terminology that the general public doesn't
understand,” he said. “To a non-ham, a call sign looks like a
license plate number, for example. We created a new banner
targeted at those interested in preparedness and made sure it
had plain English and not ‘hamspeak’ on it.”
The club also created a half-page handout with the club’s
information and meeting time on it for visitors to take home
instead of relying on having to look things up online. “We shall
see if the new banner and handouts paid off at the next club
meeting,” Cruz said.
Other operators taking part included Alain Arocha, K4KKC;
Esther Cruz KI4OTX; Steve Taylor, W1HQL; John Kolansinski,
KK4QKL; Logan Brauer, W0LAB; Frank De Cespedes, AK4FU; Luis
Pinon, KI4VEY; Ivan Cholakov,
NO2CW,
and Tommy Cholakov,
N1SPY. —
Thanks to Robert Cruz, KE4MCL Foundations of Amateur Radio #179
The Golden Age of Amateur Radio is Now
Imagine a world where electronics are pervasive, a
transceiver can be purchased for the price of two Big Macs, kits are
designed and built using simple tools at home, software makes it
possible to invent new methods of communication on an almost daily
basis, where long distance contacts are made throughout the day
using milliwatts while ionospheric propagation is at an all-time
low, where national parks and peaks are being activated at an
increasing rate, where new people join in every day, where it's
easier and easier to obtain a license and where the word geek is
held as a badge of honour.
That world is here, it's now and when Rex, KE6MT writes that we're
in the midst of a golden age of amateur radio, he hits the nail on
the head, or should that be fist on the key?
It's easy to notice that amateur radio is difficult, that it's big,
that it's messy, that it's full of know-it-alls, but it's hard to
remember that it's fun, that it's rewarding and that every day more
and more people join in and enjoy this hobby. The ideals of
investigation and exploration are alive and well and the urge to
participate in activities, just to get out of the house and see some
daylight is strong.
While you're in the midst of a revolution, it's hard to see the wood
for the trees, but make no mistake, the revolution is here, today,
now, and you're smack bang in the middle of it.
Today you can go online and find any number of different amateurs
who share their skills and knowledge, you can find manufacturers and
suppliers at the tap of a screen, find and draw schematics, order
custom circuit boards at the click of a check-out button, print an
enclosure in your bedroom using plans that you downloaded or
designed minutes before.
With the digitisation of amateur radio comes the promise of new
adventures, with adaptive modes, with encoding and decoding in new
and interesting ways, with the ability to hear what your station is
producing by logging into a remote receiver anywhere on the planet,
by sending messages to satellites overhead and talking to people in
another country using a hand-held VHF radio.
For some the loss of the valve radio is the loss of history, for
others it's a sign of progress and improvement. The inventors of
spark-gap transmitters were no doubt put out by the arrival of the
valve when that became commonplace. Similarly, the transistor has
essentially gone the way of the Dodo in the arrival of cheaply
programmable integrated circuits.
Our hobby keeps getting bigger, all the time.
We didn't abandon valves or transistors, or the spark-gap for that
matter, we improved on them. You can still build a spark-gap
transmitter if you feel the urge, or ferret out a valve or two and
build them into something wonderful, nobody is stopping you.
Today we learn Morse Code because we want to, not because we have
to.
We introduce new people with new technology, new ideas, new
innovations and hope that they pick up the cape to become the next
superhero.
You can bemoan the death of the hobby with the solar cycle at an all
time low, the entry of stupid amateurs who need to learn from their
betters, the passing of the valve and the abolition of Morse Code
requirements, or you can celebrate the appearance of all the new and
shiny toys that arrive in our hobby every day.
The Golden Age of Amateur Radio is Now.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
To listen to the podcast, visit the website:
http://podcasts.vk6flab.com/. You can also use your podcast tool
of choice and search for my callsign, VK6FLAB. Full instructions on
how to listen are here:
https://podcasts.vk6flab.com/about/help
THURSDAY EDITION: HRO for Lunch Bunch in Salem,
NH at noon today, always a good time....Another mass shooting in CA,
what the hell is the answer?....
Laser technology could be used to
attract attention from aliens....careful for what you wish!
Pointing a special laser from Earth could act as a beacon
light to aliens in space, a recent study said.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology study,
published in Astrophysical Journal, proposes the idea of
focusing a high-powered 1- to 2-megawatt laser through a large 30-
to 45-meter telescope in order to produce an infrared beam that
could shine into space.
That beam, said lead researcher
James Clark, would be at least 10 times stronger than the sun,
making it powerful enough to shine through the sun's energy.
"I wanted to see if I could take the kinds of telescopes and
lasers that we're building today, and make a detectable beacon out
of them," Clark said
in a press release.
lark said the megawatt laser could send Morse code signals to
alien astronomers living in systems closest to the Earth such as
Proxima Centauri or TRAPPIST-1, a star 40 light years away with
three potentially habitable exoplanets.
"If we were to successfully close a handshake and start to
communicate, we could flash a message, at a data rate of about a few
hundred bits per second, which would get there in just a few years,"
Clark said.
He wants his laser to lead to more infrared imaging technology
development, making it possible to communicate with aliens on other
planets, or to spot gases in a far off planet's atmospheres that
could indicate signs of life.
"It is vanishingly unlikely that a telescope survey would
actually observe an extraterrestrial laser, unless we restrict our
survey to the very nearest stars," Clark said.
"With current survey methods and instruments, it is unlikely that
we would actually be lucky enough to image a beacon flash, assuming
that extraterrestrials exist and are making them," Clark said.
"However, as the infrared spectra of exoplanets are studied for
traces of gases that indicate the viability of life, and as full-sky
surveys attain greater coverage and become more rapid, we can be
more certain that, if E.T. is phoning, we will detect it."
Did an alien light sail just
visit the solar system?
It sounds like a tabloid headline, but in this case it could
be real.
Mainstream researchers from the Harvard Center for
Astrophysics have made the case in a newly-released paper that
interstellar asteroid 'Oumuamua could be an alien light sail.
Visit today's edition of
Spaceweather.com for the full story
Delcastle Technical School in
Wilmington, Delaware US use G0KSC LFA Yagi to contact ISS
On 24 th October, Delcastle Technical Scholl in Wilmington,
Delaware USA, used a G0KSC LFA Yagi to make contact with the ISS.
The pair of 7el 144-146MHz LFA Yagis were built by students at the
Hodgson Vocational Technical School in Newark, Delaware, a sister
school of Delcastle Tech.
When tasked with a project to build a Yagi to use for the
contact, Students found the
www.g0ksc.co.uk
website on-line which has a selection of free-to-build Yagis
designed by renowned antenna designer Justin Johnson, G0KSC.
The contact and all questions can be seen/heard on the link
below:
https://www.facebook.com/NCCVTSD/videos/591424961273392/
G0KSC Free designs website
www.g0ksc.co.uk
G0KSC latest designs commercially available
www.innovantennas.com
New Book, Power Supplies Explained, Now
Shipping
Radio amateurs often take a power supply for granted. After all,
it’s just the box that, at the flick of a switch, provides
stable dc voltage. A modern power supply is much more though,
combining theory that dates back to the 19th century,
incorporating the latest techniques in digital control, and
taking advantage of a wealth of electronics practice in
between. Power
Supplies Explained sets out to explain in
understandable terms what that box is doing, and it can also
explain how you can design your own custom-built power supply.
Some believe there is a little magic in power supply design.
Beginners may be especially wary of the challenging mixture of
digital, analog, magnetics, and control loops, with cooling,
EMC, and safety to contend with as well. While many books deal
with in-depth theory, they often give little guidance on the
practical aspects of achieving working designs. Power
Supplies Explained is different. It describes how circuits
are chosen for the application and how they’re designed,
including inductors and transformers. Calculations are outlined
simply, so the reader can use them as a basis for their own
designs.
Chapters include descriptions of linear supplies and a wide
range of switching-mode power supply types, from simple buck
converters to the latest off-line high-efficiency types.
Practical examples are based around typical Amateur Radio
requirements, and, in many cases, are versions of commercial
products the author has successfully designed. Other chapters
cover magnetic theory, control loops, EMC, practical
construction techniques, and test equipment. High-voltage power
supplies are covered too, along with comprehensive guidance on
safety.
Power Supplies Explained, published by
the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) and imported by ARRL,
is available from the
ARRL Store (ARRL Item no. 5010, ISBN:
978-1-91019-364-8, $24.95 retail). Call 860-594-0355 or,
toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289. WEDNESDAY EDITION: Voting done, ballots counted,
and the balance of power has shifted, and it's my guess nothing will
change for the next two years except for the rhetoric...I was going
to write a little report on my new OPENspot 2, my first venture into
dmr radio......however it was a short experience. The little beauty
was up and running in about 15 minutes, thanks to YouTube. I made
about 30 contacts using my FT2D handheld all over the US and a few
in England, neat! Then I did the unthinkable, I noticed a box that
said upgrade the firmware and bootlegger, and yes, I clicked on the
appropriate buttons. I now own a $250 dollar white brick, it no
longer responds, no blinking lights, no nothing. I contacted the
outfit in Russia, surpassingly I got an immediate response and walk
thru of possible things to try. All a no-go. To my surprise, I was
told they would send me a new one as soon as DHL picks it up, they
asked for my name and address and I am awaiting an email from
DHL.....
India Gains Three New Bands, Sweden Gets
Permanent 60-Meter Access
Radio amateurs in India now have access to three new bands.
India’s Ministry of Communications’ Department of
Telecommunications has published an updated
National Frequency Allocation Plan,
effective October 25, which lists the new bands at 5 MHz (60
meters), 472 kHz (630 meters), and 136 kHz (2300 meters). All
allocations are on a secondary basis.
On 60 meters, hams now have access to 5,351.5 – 5,366.5 kHz
at 15 W EIRP; on 630 meters, 472 – 479 kHz at 1 W EIRP, and on
2300 meters, 135.7 – 137.8 kHz at 1 W EIRP.
Sweden’s IARU member-society SSA reports that radio amateurs
there gained routine secondary access to 5,351.5 – 5,366.5 kHz
at 15 W EIRP on November 1. Temporary permission has been
available since 2016, by application. SSA recommends following
IARU Region 1 guidelines for using the band; a
Swedish
version is available. — Thanks to Paul Gaskell,
G4MWO, Editor, The 5 MHz Newsletter; SSA
Ham radio
operators to conduct major emergency test
On Thursday, the Oregon Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will conduct a
challenging Simulated Emergency Test (SET).
Thursday’s test is unique, as this is the
first time "ham" radio operators have done a SET in Deschutes
County with a large geographic spread of the stations, from
Sisters-Camp Sherman on down to La Pine.
Ham radio groups involved in emergency communications are
encouraged to participate in these events so the radio operators
become familiar with all of the procedures used to assist
government agencies during disasters. These drills also ensure
all of the radio stations and computer networks provided by the
hams are fully functional.
Locally, the Deschutes County Amateur Radio Emergency
Service/Auxcomm (DCARES/AUXCOMM) conducts several of these tests
every year in addition to providing communications for major
public events where no other form of communication is available.
Read the full
NewsChannel 21 article:
https://www.ktvz.com/news/ham-radio-operators-to-conduct-major-emergency-test/847891918
European-built service module
arrives in U.S. for first Orion moon mission
The powerhouse that will help NASA’s Orion spacecraft venture
beyond the Moon is stateside. The European-built service module that
will propel, power and cool during Orion flight to the Moon on
Exploration Mission-1 arrived from Germany at the agency’s
Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday to begin final
outfitting, integration and testing with the crew module and other
Orion elements.
The service module is integral to human missions to the Moon and
Mars. After Orion launches on top of the agency’s
Space Launch System rocket, the service module will be
responsible for in-space maneuvering throughout the mission,
including course corrections. The service module will also provide
the powerful burns to insert Orion into lunar orbit and again to get
out of lunar orbit and return to Earth. It is provided by ESA
(European Space Agency) and built by ESA’s prime contractor Airbus
of Bremen, Germany. NASA’s prime contractor for Orion, Lockheed
Martin, built the crew module and other elements of the spacecraft.
“We have a strong foundation of cooperation with ESA through the
International Space Station partnership, and the arrival of the
service module signifies that our international collaboration
extends to our deep space human exploration efforts as well,” said
Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for Human
Exploration and Operations.
The European-built service module brings together new technology
and lightweight materials while taking advantage of
spaceflight-proven hardware. It is comprised of more than 20,000
components, including four solar array wings that provide enough
electricity to power two three-bedroom homes, as well as an orbital
maneuvering system engine, a recently refurbished engine previously
used for in-orbit control by the space shuttle. Beginning with
Exploration Mission-2, the module also will provide air and
water for astronauts flying inside Orion, which will carry people to
destinations farther than anyone has travelled before and return
them safely to Earth.
“Our teams have worked together incredibly hard to develop a
service module that will make missions to the Moon and beyond a
reality,” said Mark Kirasich, NASA’s Orion program manager. “It is
quite an accomplishment of ESA and Airbus to have completed the
developmental work on the module and have this major delivery
milestone behind us.”
Now that the service module is at Kennedy, it will undergo a host
of tests and integration work ahead of Exploration Mission-1.
Engineers will complete functional checkouts to ensure all elements
are working properly before it is connected to the Orion crew
module. Teams will weld together fluid lines to route gases and fuel
and make electrical wiring connections. The service module and crew
module will be mated, and the combined spacecraft will be sent to
NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Plum Brook Station in Ohio early next
year where it will undergo 60 days of continuous testing in the
world’s largest thermal vacuum chamber to ensure Orion can withstand
the harsh environment of deep space. Once that testing is complete,
it will return to Kennedy for integration with the SLS rocket in
preparation for launch.
NASA is leading the next steps to establish a permanent human
presence at the
Moon. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions,
Exploration Mission-1 is a flight test of an uncrewed Orion
spacecraft and SLS rocket that will launch from NASA’s modernized
spaceport at Kennedy. The mission will send Orion 40,000 miles
beyond the Moon and back and pave the road for future missions with
astronauts. Together, NASA and its partners will build the
infrastructure needed to explore the Moon for decades to come while
laying the groundwork for future missions to Mars.
For more information about Orion, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/orion
FCC Accepting Applications for its
Engineering Honors Program
The FCC is accepting applications from graduate engineers for
its 1-year career development Engineering Honors Program,
launched this past spring. The deadline to apply is November 30,
2018. The program is open to recent engineering school graduates
and current students who will graduate this academic year.
Current students who will graduate in December will be
considered and are encouraged to apply. At the end of the 1-year
program, Honors Program engineers will be eligible for
consideration for continued employment at the FCC. “With the
successful launch of the Honors Engineer Program earlier this
year, we are now looking to hire a new group of top-notch
engineers,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “This will maintain our
commitment to replenishing and strengthening our engineering
expertise here at the Commission.”
The FCC said it is looking for new engineering talent “to
work on cutting-edge issues in the communications and high-tech
arenas.” These include enabling the introduction of new
technologies and services such as 5G, the Internet of Things,
next-generation TV broadcasting, broadband satellite systems,
and broadband deployment.
“Selection for the Honors Engineer Program is highly
competitive, and the FCC will review many facets of a
candidate’s background, including academic achievement,
technical skills, engineering and extracurricular activities,
and demonstrated interest in government service and/or the
communications sector,” the FCC said in announcing the
application window.
Interested candidates should review the
recruitment announcement and apply online. Special Call Signs Commemorate Centenary
of World War I Armistice
Several countries around the world have authorized the use of
special call signs or prefixes to mark the centenary of the
armistice that marked the end of hostilities on the Western
Front of World War I. The initial armistice took effect on
November 11, 1918, at 11 AM (the Treaty of Versailles that
officially ended World War I was not signed until the following
year). Formerly known as Armistice Day in the US and in other
countries, November 11 later became recognized as Veterans Day
in the US, and as Remembrance Day in others, as a day to honor
veterans of the armed services from all wars and conflicts.
While not a special prefix, WW1USA — the call sign of the
National World War I Museum Amateur Radio Club — was on the air
from the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas
City, Missouri, over the November 3 – 4 weekend. Other allied
countries that took part in World War I will host special event
Amateur Radio stations or call signs to commemorate the
centenary of the Armistice.
In the UK, special event station GB100ARM will be on the air
until November 28, operated by the HMS Belfast Radio
Group. Operation will take place from the bridge wireless office
aboard HMS Belfast.
The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) has secured special
event call signs for use across all Australian states and
territories to commemorate the signing of the Armistice. These
will take the form VI#PEACE and VI#LWF, depending upon
Australian call district — 1 through 0. Listen, too, for
VI100PEACE and VI9PEACE from Christmas Island. These call signs
will be available for use between November 3 and November 11.
In Belgium, radio amateurs may use the OP prefix instead of
ON during November as part of the 100th anniversary. The “P”
stands for “poppies.” The association between poppies and
Armistice Day (and, later, Veterans Day and Remembrance Day) was
inspired by the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields” by John
McCrae, which refers to poppies as the first flowers to grow in
the earth above soldiers’ graves in the Flanders region of
Belgium. Veterans groups in some countries hand out paper
poppies in conjunction with Veterans Day/Remembrance Day
observances.
Additional stations include France’s TM5PAX, which is active
on all bands and modes through November 11, and South Africa’s
ZS100WWI, which is on the air for the entire month of November. VOTING TUESDAY EDITION: Obviously, Vote today if
you haven't yet ... very lively on 3928 yesterday late afternoon,
the Mud Duck was especially LOUD from the Cape Cod Canal, I believe
he was running on a little too much "high test" fuel....Joe- JEK was
a little hard on Mike-XW yesterday but we did get to the truth. Mike
does not climb tree's for anyone....I think Warren is milking his
hip surgery, he should be jogging by now....and who is this guy who
ask everyone for his call sign?....possible there might be a lunch
at HRO on Thursday, who is in?...
Amateur Radio Experimenters
Group's balloon success
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Amateur Radio
Experimenters Group released a high altitude balloon
carrying transmitters for APRS and SSTV, and a crossband FM repeater
The Murray Valley Standard newspaper reports:
The balloon was launched from Mount Barker High School at 10am and
quickly floated high enough to take in views of Adelaide, the
Fleurieu and Yorke peninsulas, and the curve of the Earth's
atmosphere giving way to the blackness of space.
It reached a height of 36 kilometres and zig-zagged across the sky,
carried by stratospheric winds, before bursting somewhere above
Monteith and falling to earth in a paddock south of Wynarka.
Recovery teams followed signals from an APRS beacon to find the
exact landing site of the transmitter, a white object about the size
of a shoebox.
Group member Mark Jessop VK5QI said his team was
able to follow its descent closely enough to watch it land from a
kilometre away and, after obtaining permission from the property
owner, go and pick it up.
He said the flight, the 50th conducted by the radio group under the
name Project Horus, was just one kind of experiment amateur radio
operators were interested in.
"Amateur radio is all about self-learning and experimentation," he
said.
"It covers people who want to chat with people around the world,
people launching balloons like myself, people who bounce signals off
the moon ... there's all sorts of sub-groups."
Read the full story and watch the video at
https://www.murrayvalleystandard
.com.au/story/5740661/radio-hobbyists-balloon-floats-36km-high-photographs-space-lands-at-wynarka/
MOTIVATION MONDAY: Go Patriots but we should all wonder if the
glory days of the "Gronk" are behind us. .....It's going to be a wet
week which won't make it a lot of fun removing the leaves here....
The Latest Episode of ARRL Audio News is
Now Available!
Listen to the new episode of ARRL Audio News on your iOS or
Android podcast app, or online at
http://www.blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/. Audio News is
also retransmitted on a number of FM repeaters. Click
here
and then scroll down to see the list.
Well known ham radio operator
dies in fall from tower
The Reverend Paul Bittner, W0AIH, of Fall Creek, Wisconsin,
died doing what he loved on October 31, when a tower-climbing
mishap claimed his life at his well-known antenna farm. The ARRL
Life Member and Maxim Society member was 84. A member of the CQ
Contesting Hall of Fame and retired Lutheran pastor, Bittner was
a well-known and respected figure within the Amateur Radio
community and a prolific contester and DXer. “No one was more
generous, loving, and encouraging to others than the Reverend
Paul Bittner,” said Mike Lonneke, W4AAW, in a post to the
Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC). “He called me last week to
chat about what he and Mary were up to, like getting material
together for their always long and hilarious Christmas
newsletter. He also knocked me out with the latest of his funny
experiences in his ‘Rent-a-Rev’ sideline.” Bittner officiated at
the June 2 wedding of two well-known midwestern contesters.
Bittner was licensed in 1949 and held the same call sign ever
since. He and his wife, Mary, WB0PXM, moved in 2000 to “The
Farm,” a 120-acre spread in west-central Wisconsin. The first of
the more than 50 towers began sprouting there before their
arrival in 1982. As a ham, he enjoyed multi-multi contesting and
DXing. His favorite band was 160 meters, and his favorite
contest was the CQ World Wide DX CW Contest. Bittner’s
son-in-law — Paul Husby, W0UC — operated VHF contests from The
Farm and was a multi-multi regular as well.“His station stands
as a great monument to a selfless man of great grace and
remarkable achievements,” Lonneke said. “Paul once told me that
AIH stands for ‘already in heaven.’”
Contester and former ARRL staffer Dave Patton, NN1N, described
Bittner as “such a good man and truly great ham.” W1AW Station
Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, noted that Bittner had volunteered to
operate as W1AW/9 as a headquarters station in the 2019 IARU HF
Championship to celebrate his decades in ham radio.
NCJ Editor Scott Wright, K0MD, said that Bittner helped to build
stations for many midwestern hams. “He was a mentor to hundreds
of hams, and his enthusiasm for contesting was infectious,”
Wright said. Bittner had said he wanted to be buried with a
bible, a telegraph key, and a climbing belt.
“Thank you for giving so much of yourself to me and the rest of
the ham community,” said contester Scott Neader. “We will never
forget you.”
Radiomen
in the Vietnam War faced a 5-second life expectancy
At the height of the Vietnam War, up-and-coming commo guys
who wanted to learn the art of radio operation would walk
into a classroom and see a huge number five written on the
chalkboard.
Inevitably, someone's curiosity would win out and they'd
ask what the big number meant. The instructor would then
calmly tell them, "that's your life expectancy, in seconds,
in a firefight. So, listen up and you might learn something
that'll keep you alive."
That number wasn't some outrageous scare tactic. During
the Vietnam War, the odds were tremendously stacked against
radio operations — and that 5-second life expectancy was,
for some, a grim reality.
In all fairness, that number was on the more extreme
side of estimates. The life expectancy of a radio
operator in the Vietnam War ranged between
five to
six seconds all the way up to a
slightly-more-optimistic
thirty seconds, depending on your source. If you
look at all of the things the radio operators were
tasked with, it becomes abundantly clear why commo guys
weren't expected to last long. The first and most
obvious tally in the "you're screwed" column was the
overall weight of the gear radio operators were expected
to carry into battle. The PRC-77 radio system weighed
13.5 lbs without batteries. Toss in batteries,
some spare batteries, and the unsightly, large
encryption device called the NESTOR and you're looking
at carrying 54lbs on your back at all times.
Now add your weapon system onto that and try to keep up
as you fight alongside your unencumbered brethren. It
took a lot of getting used to — but they managed.
If the weight wasn't problem enough, next comes the
antennae. They weren't all too heavy, but they were
extremely uncomfortable to use and would often give your
position away to the enemy. The three-foot version was
easier on the radio operator, but it wouldn't work in
thick jungles. For that environment, the radio operator
needed a ten-foot whip antenna to stick out of their
back, which was a great way to draw unwanted attention.
The Viet Cong knew what it meant to take out a guy with a giant,
ten-foot antenna sticking out of their back — you might as well have
painted a bullseye on them. You take out the radio operator and you
effectively avoid dealing with air support. Additionally, it was
well known that a radio operator's place in the marching order was
at the heels of the officer-in-charge — two high-priority targets in
one spot.
And it wasn't just the bullets that radio operators had to watch
out for. The large antenna also acted as a targeting point for
mortars and other explosives. All they had to do was aim for the
antenna and they could wipe out anyone near the radio operator. As
terrible as it sounds, this meant that the radio operator would
sometimes move in isolation, away from the rest of the squad.
It's unclear exactly how many radio operators lost their lives
during the Vietnam War. While many radio operators were fulfilling
their MOS, others just had a radio strapped to them in times of
need. One thing is for certain, though: Being a radio operator back
in the Vietnam War puts you among the most badass troops the
military has to offer.
New England Hams
you might run across 75
meters.........
K1TP-
Jon....Editor of As The World
Turns....
2017
HRO CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON
W1GEK-
Big Mike....Nearfest Cook, big
motor home, electronics software
engineer ...
AA1SB-
Neil...Living large traveling
the country with his
girlfriend...loves CW
N1YX-
Igor....peddles quality Russian
keys, software engineer
K1BGH...Art.....Restores
cars and radio gear, nice fella...
N1XW.....Mike-easy
going, Harley riding kind of
guy!
K1JEK-Joe...Easy going, can
be found at most ham flea market
...Cobra Antenna builder..
KA1GJU-
Kriss- Tower climbing pilot who
cooks on the side at
Hosstrader's...
W1GWU-Bob....one
of the Hosstrader's original
organizers, 75 meter regular,
Tech Wizard!!!
K1PV-
Roger....75 meter regular, easy
going guy...
W1XER...Scott....easy
going guy, loves to split
cordwood and hunt...
WS1D-
Warren- "Windy" - Bullnet
KB1VX-
Barry- the picture says it all,
he loves food!
KC1BBU-
Bob....the Mud Duck from the
Cape Cod Canal, making a lot of
noise.
W1STS- Scott...philosopher,
hat
connoisseur,
KB1JXU-
Matthew...75 meter regular...our
token liberal Democrat out of VT
KA1BXB-Don....75
meter Regular......residing on
the Cape of Cod, flying planes
and playing radio
KMIG-Rick....75
Meter Regular....teaches the
future of mankind, it's scary!
K1PEK-Steve..Founder
of Davis-RF....my best friend
from high school
K9AEN-John...Easy
going ham found at all the ham
fests
K1BXI- John.........Dr.
Linux....fine amateur radio op
....wealth of experience...
K1BQT.....Rick....very
talented ham, loves his
politics, has designed gear for
MFJ...
W1KQ- Jim- Retired
Air Force
Controller...told quite a few
pilots where to go!
N1OOL-Jeff-
The 3936 master plumber and
ragchewer...
K1BRS-Bruce-
Computer Tech of 3936...multi
talented kidney stone passing
ham...
K1BGH- Arthur, Cape Cod,
construction company/ice cream
shop, hard working man....
W1VAK-
Ed, Cape Cod, lots of experience
in all areas, once was a Jacques
Cousteus body guard....
KD1ZY-
Warren....3910 regular with
WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE
signal
N1YSU-
Bob, easy going, kind of
like Mr. Rogers until politics
are brought up then watch out...
K1BNH-
Bill- Used to work for a bottled
gas company-we think he has been
around nitrous oxide to long .
Silent KeyVA2GJB-
Graham...one of the good 14313
guys back in the day.
Silent Key
K1BHV-
David...PITA
Silent Key
W1JSH-
Mort...Air Force man
Silent Key
K1MAN--Glen....PITA
Silent KeyKB1CJG-"Cobby"-
Low key gent can be found on
many of the 75 meter
nets.........
Silent KeyWB1AAZ-
Mike, Antrim, NH, auto parts
truck driver-retired
Silent KeyWB1DVD-
Gil....Gilly..Gilmore.....easy
going, computer parts selling,
New England Ham..
Silent Key
W1OKQ-
Jack....3936 Wheeling and
Dealing......keeping the boys on
there toes....
Silent Key
W1TCS-
Terry....75 meter
regular, wealth of electronic
knowledge...
Silent Key
WIPNR-
Mack....DXCC Master, worked them
all!.. 3864 regular for many
years...
Silent Key
WILIM-
Hu....SK at 92... 3864
regular for many years...
Silent Key
N1SIE-
Dave....Loves to fly
Silent Key:N1WBD-
Big Bob- Tallest ham, at 6'10",
of the 3864 group
Silent Key:
W1FSK-Steve....Navy
Pilot, HRO Salesman, has owned
every radio ever built!
Silent Key:
W4NTI-Vietnam
Dan....far from easy going cw
and ssb op on 14275/313
Silent Key:K1FUB-Bill-
Loved ham radio.... |
